The Better at Home service has now expanded to Clinton, and has started offering light housekeeping services for eligible seniors in that community who need a little assistance around their home.
The program — which is mainly funded through the United Way of the Lower Mainland — helps seniors continue to live independently in their own homes by providing simple, non-medical services. It has been operating in Ashcroft and Cache Creek since 2013, and program coordinator Nancy Kendall says that she has been fielding requests for the service to expand to Clinton for several years.
“There was nothing we could do at that time, as funding was limited,” she says, “so we could just do Ashcroft and Cache Creek. But I’ve been quietly expanding it to Clinton for a few months. I knew it would be popular, and didn’t want to get overwhelmed.”
The program has one housekeeper in the community, and Kendall worked with the Clinton Home Health Nurse and community paramedic Diana Guerin to get a list of names of people who needed the service. She says they were at capacity pretty quickly, but now have a handful of spots available.
“With the new seniors’ housing opening, quite a few of our clients have moved over to that, and housekeeping is offered there, so we’ve had three spots open for housekeeping.”
While Better at Home can offer a variety of services, housekeeping is the only one being rolled out in Clinton at the moment. Anyone who is aged 60 and older who is living in their own home can apply, with the fee on a sliding scale based on last year’s income tax returns; some seniors might qualify for a full or partial subsidy.
Kendall adds that she has a certain amount of discretion when it comes to eligibility.
“Usually it’s for seniors who are 60 and older, but I can sometimes take people who are a little bit younger who have health issues. I can also sometimes accommodate people who are a little younger who need short-term help for a few months, because maybe they’ve had surgery.”
Anyone in Clinton who thinks they might be eligible for the service, or who is interested in learning more, can call Kendall at (250) 457-1019. Family members can also call on behalf of someone else who they think might be eligible for, or benefit from, the service.
“Anyone can call and ask questions,” says Kendall. “Sometimes Better at Home isn’t for someone, but we talk about that and decide during the conversation. I try to have resources in my back pocket with more information about other services that I can hand out.
“We’ll expand slowly in Clinton. I hope at some point we can offer more services there, but I need to build up my connections. I’m taking it one thing at a time.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter